Smaller U.S. newspapers more likely to charge for online content, report shows

Results showed 46 percent of daily newspapers with a circulation of under 25,000 were charging for some aspect of online content compared to 24 percent of newspapers with a circulation larger than 25,000. The study, a random sample of all 1,390 U.S. dailies complemented by 301 interviews, was conducted April 1-18 by the Missouri School of Journalism’s Center for Advanced Social Research, the research arm for the RJI.

The RJI report on smaller daily newspapers showed they lagged behind larger newspapers regarding creating applications for mobile devices and tablets. Twenty-one percent of newspapers below the 25,000 circulation level had a mobile app compared to 62 percent of newspapers with a circulation greater than 25,000. Only nine percent of smaller newspapers had a tablet app while 39 percent of larger newspapers had released tablet apps.